Luis Suárez (footballer, born 1935)

Luis Suárez Miramontes (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlwis ˈswaɾeθ miɾaˈmontes]; born 2 May 1935) is a Spanish former footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, España Industrial, FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria and the Spain national team. Suárez is regarded as one of Spain's greatest players; he was noted for his elegant, fluid, graceful style of play.[1] Nicknamed El Arquitecto - The Architect - he was noted for his perceptive passing and explosive shot, and in 1960, he became the only Spanish-born player to win the Ballon d'Or. In 1964 he helped Spain win the European Championship. Suárez originally achieved prominence as a creative inside forward, or attacking midfielder in modern terms, for the great Barcelona team of the 1950s before he joined Inter Milan where he reached his prime as deep-lying playmaker for the legendary Grande Inter team of the 1960s. He played a pivotal role in the success of Herrera's Inter Milan side, and was one of the primary creative forces in the squad, due to his skill on the ball, vision, and passing range.[2] He retired as a player in 1973, after three seasons at Sampdoria.

"Luisito Suárez" redirects here. For the Uruguayan footballer, see Luis Suárez. For other people named Luis Suárez, see Luis Suárez (disambiguation).

This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Suárez and the second or maternal family name is Miramontes.
Luis Suárez
Suárez with Spain national team in 1962
Personal information
Full name Luis Suárez Miramontes
Date of birth (1935-05-02) 2 May 1935
Place of birth A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s) Inside right / Attacking midfielder
Youth career
Perseverancia
1949–1953 Fabril
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1954 Deportivo La Coruña 17 (3)
1954–1955 España Industrial 21 (6)
1955–1961 Barcelona 122 (61)
1961–1970 Inter Milan 256 (42)
1970–1973 Sampdoria 63 (9)
Total 479 (121)
National team
1957–1972 Spain 32 (14)
Teams managed
1975 Inter Milan
1975 Sampdoria
1975–1976 SPAL
1976–1977 Como
1977–1978 Cagliari
1978–1979 Deportivo La Coruña
1980–1988 Spain U21
1988–1991 Spain
1992 Inter Milan
1994 Albacete
1995 Inter Milan
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Suárez subsequently began a career as a coach and has managed Inter Milan on three occasions, the last two on a caretaker basis. Suárez has also coached both Spain U21s and the senior Spain team. He was in charge of the latter for 27 games and led them to the second round of the 1990 World Cup. He has also coached several Italian and Spanish club sides. He is currently a scout for Inter Milan.

Club career

Early career

Luis Suárez Miramontes was born on 2 May 1935, in A Coruña, Galicia. He lived on Avenida de Hércules in the working-class neighborhood of Monte Alto where he was known by the diminutive Luisito.[3]

He began his career with local side Deportivo de La Coruña in 1949 and worked his way through the junior sides before making his La Liga debut with Deportivo on 6 December 1953 in a 6–1 defeat to FC Barcelona. Among his teammates at Deportivo were Pahiño and Arsenio Iglesias. He played 17 games and scored 3 goals for Deportivo during the remaining season. In 1954, he was transferred to CF Barcelona but spent most of the 1954–55 season playing for their reserve side, España Industrial, in the second division.

FC Barcelona

Between 1955 and 1961 Suárez was a regular in a FC Barcelona team that also included the Hungarian trio Ladislao Kubala, Zoltán Czibor and Sándor Kocsis, alongside Ramallets and Evaristo. With Helenio Herrera as coach, the club and Suárez won a domestic league-cup double in 1959 and a league-European cup double the subsequent year. As a result, Suárez was voted Ballon d'Or in 1960, beating Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás. One of his last games for the club was the final of the European Cup in 1961 which they lost 3–2 to Benfica.

Inter Milan
Suárez with Inter Milan at San Siro in the 1960s

In 1961, Suárez became the world's most expensive footballer and the first £100,000 transfer when FC Barcelona sold him to Inter Milan for 250 million Italian lire (£142,000). The move saw him follow his mentor Helenio Herrera.

Suárez became a regular in Herrera's Grande Inter team that won three Serie A titles, two consecutive European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups. Between 1961 and 1970 he made 328 appearances for Inter and scored 55 goals.

Suárez playing for Sampdoria in the early 1970s

On 10 March 1963, he scored three times in a 6–0 win over Genoa; this was the only hat-trick by a Spaniard in Serie A until Suso's for Genoa in 2016, to whom Suárez sent his congratulations.[4]

International career

Suárez also played 32 games for Spain and scored 14 goals. He made his debut on 30 January 1957 in a 5–1 victory over the Netherlands and represented Spain at both the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. However his greatest achievement with Spain came in 1964 when, together with Josep Maria Fusté, Amancio Amaro, José Ángel Iribar and Jesús María Pereda, he helped them win the European Championship. He played his final game for Spain in 1972.

Honours

Club
Suárez (foreground) celebrate the 1964–65 European Cup victory with his Nerazzurri teammates Facchetti, Peiró and Bedin

FC Barcelona

Inter Milan

International
Spain

Individual

Career statistics
Galician language plaque outside Suárez's birthplace: "In this house on 2 May 1935, the architect of football Luis Suárez was born".

International
Spain national team[10]
YearAppsGoals
195764
195832
195955
196073
196110
196220
196310
196420
196520
196620
196700
196800
196900
197000
197100
197210
Total3214

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.10 March 1957Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain  Switzerland1–12–21958 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.31 March 1957Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Belgium0–20–5Friendly
3.31 March 1957Heysel, Brussels, Belgium Belgium0–50–5Friendly
4.8 May 1957Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland Scotland2–24–21958 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.13 March 1958Parc des Princes, Paris, France France1–22–2Friendly
6.15 October 1958Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain Northern Ireland4–16–2Friendly
7.28 June 1959Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland Poland1–12–4UEFA Euro 1960 qualifying
8.28 June 1959Silesian Stadium, Chorzów, Poland Poland1–32–4UEFA Euro 1960 qualifying
9.22 November 1959Mestalla, Valencia, Spain Austria2–06–3Friendly
10.22 November 1959Mestalla, Valencia, Spain Austria3–06–3Friendly
11.17 December 1959Parc des Princes, Paris, France France0–14–3Friendly
12.10 July 1960Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru Peru0–21–3Friendly
13.10 July 1960Estadio Nacional, Lima, Peru Peru0–31–3Friendly
14.26 October 1960Wembley, London, England England2–24–2Friendly
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References
  1. Luis Suárez Archived 2 February 2010 at Archive.today
  2. "Great Team Tactics: Breaking Down Helenio Herrera's 'La Grande Inter'". Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  3. "Luis Suárez descubre una placa más "tocante" que el Balón de Oro".
  4. "Luis Suárez: "Enhorabuena Suso, ahora estamos dos en el club"" [Luis Suárez: "Congratulations Suso, now we are in a two-person club"] (in Spanish). Marca. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  5. Rob Moore; Karel Stokkermans (21 January 2011). "European Footballer of the Year ("Ballon d'Or")". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. "ERIC BATTY’S WORLD XI – THE SIXTIES" Retrieved on 29 November 2015
  7. "EURO 1964 team of the tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  8. "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  9. "Luis Suárez recibió el MARCA Leyenda – Marca.com". Marca.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  10. Luis Suárez – Goals in International Matches
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